Category Archives: Family/Career

University of Minnesota Commencement speech – May 10th 2013

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Steve Blank

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I am honored to be with you as we gather to celebrate your graduation. This school has a distinguished roster of graduates… Earl Bakken, the founder ofMedtronic, was an Electrical Engineering grad, and Bob Gore of Gortex, and your current president are … Continue reading →

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Failure and Redemption

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Steve Blank

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“What’s gone and what’s past help Should be past grief.” William Shakespeare - The Winter’s Tale We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure…read full post. Download MP3

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The Startup Team

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Steve Blank

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Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds SEAL Team saying Over the last 40 years Technology investors have learned that the success of startups are not just about the technology but “it’s about the team.” We spent a year … Continue reading →

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You’ll Be Dead Soon – Carpe Diem

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Steve Blank

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Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these … Continue reading →

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The Pay-It-Forward Culture

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Steve Blank

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Foreign visitors to Silicon Valley continually mention how willing we are to help, network and connect strangers.  We take it so for granted we never even to bother to talk about it.  It’s the “Pay-It-Forward” culture…read full post. Download MP3

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Hiring – Easy as Pie

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Steve Blank

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Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten involved in hiring for two startups, a public agency and a non profit.  Part of each conversation was getting asked to help them put together a “job spec.” I had them leave with a … Continue reading →

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The Internet Might Kill Us All

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Steve Blank

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My friend Ben Horowitz and I debated the tech bubble in The Economist. An abridged version of this post was the “closing” statement to Ben’s rebuttal comments. Part 1 is here and Part 2 here.  The full version is below…read full post. Download the MP3

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Philadelphia University Commencement Speech – May 15th 2011

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Steve Blank

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I am honored to be with you as we gather to celebrate your graduation from Philadelphia University.While I teach at Stanford and Berkeley, to be honest… this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.I realize that my … Continue reading →

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The Apprentice – Entrepreneur Version

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Steve Blank

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We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master Ernest Hemingway Silicon Valley is built on simple myths – one of the most pervasive is that all winning startups are founded straight out of school … Continue reading →

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Mentors, Coaches and Teachers

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Steve Blank

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When the student is ready, the master appears. Buddhist Proverb Lots of entrepreneurs believe they want a mentor. In fact, they’re actually asking for a teacher or a coach. A mentor relationship is a two-way street. To make it work, … Continue reading →

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